BUSHFIRES

Can barely see the mountains opposite today.

We were to catch the ferry, Spirit of Tasmania, last Sunday morning for a two week idyllic holiday on the apple isle, Tasmania. On the day before, Melbourne had the hottest day on record, 46.4 degrees Celsius and we were doing some last minute shopping, walking the hot pavement, with the occasional respite in air-conditioned comfort in a large department store. We spent the afternoon in our Hotel room, twenty-eight storeys above Melbourne and, considering the events of the day, over thirty bushfires broke out during that awful day and many being in the area where we live, we decided to cancel everything and head back home.


We found that all roads heading home were blocked so we stayed overnight at our daughter's home. The next morning the main Highway to Sydney was opened and, what was normally a 75 minute drive, took 5 hours. We arrived home to no power but our meat supply was still frozen, so it hadn't been out for long. The power was restored a couple of hours later and we were then able to get on the net to the service sites to find out the latest. Our ABC radio has been a lifeline with their contacts and accurate updates.

Each day is a waiting game; we have the cars loaded and ready to go if needed. This is the worst tragedy in Australia's history. The little town of Marysville, 20 minutes away, an iconic tourism destination, has been rased to the ground. Many people are missing and our Premier, Mr John Brumby, has declared the site a crime scene as it is suspected that the fires were deliberately lit.